The Hitch Hiker

Paul I've wanted to say this earlier in this thread but didn't want to come off as sounding rude,so please don't take it that way.A lot of us don't have and can't afford a wraptor.You have an amazing product here,but for all of us who on a daily basis use the cheap lanyard over the shoulder or small biner on bungee around neck to advance the system trick, it is an invaluable tool to have.You are that close with the HH.It desperately needs some kind of an attachment point on the HH itself to advance it.Just my 2 cents.Keep up the good work.
 
Hello,
I have been using Paul's HH Prototype for about 4 months on almost every climb. It is amazing!! Nothing against the ZK2, but the ability for the climber to tend a hitch and nothing above it to worry about is great. It may also be a better transition for DdRT climbers to potentially transfer to SRT if they so desire.
As far as tending the HH up the rope, I still use a lanyard or just a bungee connected to the steel carabiner. It releases well and tends smooth.
On a side note...maybe the ITCC/ISA will look at this device a little different since there is less gear and nothing above the hitch.

Cheers,
Donny
 
Maybe the ITCC will look at it differently because it rated as life support and has official documented testing... as opposed to some youtube videos or someone dropping logs on it.. :)
 
Steve, I would willingly put an attachment point on the HH to advance it but it wouldnt work. The biner has to be used to advance it so that it releases its grab on the rope.

I wish I could make the Wraptors more affordable but it is not in my power to do so, for four years I havent taken a salary from Ropetek so its not like we are "killing it". If I had the ability and inclination to go to China and have ten thousand made we could cut the per unit cost but as I am merely a tree guy without any access to huge capital thats not going to happen and I will continue to make 10 at a time..
 
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The black side plates are steel right Paul? How torqued down are those allen bolts?

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The side plates are 41-42 prehardened steel as they see a huge amount of wear from the biner pressure, bolts are torqued to 27 inch pounds and are loktited.
 
Shoot I guess that wouldn't work ,WOW do I feel stupid...And sorry for assuming that you had not already thought about the possibility of an attachment point for advancement...And thanks for the thorough reply...
Steve
 
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Maybe the ITCC will look at it differently because it rated as life support and has official documented testing... as opposed to some youtube videos or someone dropping logs on it.. :)

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The hh is life support, the rope wrench is not. With both tools if your hitch fails your f-ed. The only difference is that the climber actually ties into the body of the hh, therefore it is lifesupport. If the rw spontaneously combusts you will not die. If the hh spontaneously combusts you would. The hh is life support, the rw is not. Im used to the rw and feel like it protects my hitch. When im on the Hh, i know its in all in my head, but my hitch feels very exposed. I could work a tree with both tools.
 
could the ropewrench be described as a climbing aid?

spikes/spurs/irons are not life support they are a climbing aid so do not fall into the legislative requirements of life support, so with that in mind could the same be said for the ropewrench?
 
As far as advantages and disadvantages of either using a wrench or HH, I think Kevin hit the nail on the head when saying that the HH might be better suited for bigger trees with less limb walking, while the wrench has its advantages in spreading canopies. I do a lot of fine pruning and limb walking and having a light unit goes a long way when pulling in slack in srt. When you are coming back in from a tip and you are holding your weight with one hand above the hitch while the other tends the slack, its very annoying to have a lot of weight on your bridge. this problem is not a big deal in ddrt when you can come back from a limbwalk with almost all your weight on the rope. I love the concept of the HH but it does look heavy, especially if you need to use a steel biner. other than the wrench I only have the weight of a pinto pulley and one alluminum biner. Very light and I like it that way. Thanks to all innovators though for developing the tools we love using day in day out.
 
I really think both tools are amazing. I love the unicender too. Surveyors OAR is really on the right track. I think the rope guide is also a fascinating tool as well as the good ole ring to ring. Really great stuff out there.
 
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I really think both tools are amazing. I love the unicender too. Surveyors OAR is really on the right track. I think the rope guide is also a fascinating tool as well as the good ole ring to ring. Really great stuff out there.

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I would agree, and that's what is making tree work so exciting these days for me is the new gear that is coming out to make our jobs more efficient.

A big thanks to everyone out there!
 
Its funny, Ive been climbing DdRT for 25 years but now when I have to use it it seems so cumbersome compared to SRT. I guess the funny part is how quickly we get used to something...
 
Kevin, The testament to your WR is in the 1000's you sold and all the people you converted over to SRT, that says enough.

Is ISC going to pursue more stringent testing? That might make it more likely that we will see SRT in competition.
 
If only I had made it to compete at next years ITCC in Toronto. I'm sure its only a matter of time before the Maters challenge is dominated by SRT climbing. Michigan this year it was not allowed again and I felt like a clumsy greenhorn trying to move around that tree. Although I have to say it would have still been very difficult to pull out a win against Lucas Drews.
 
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